The Original Realm

Luke stood frozen, staring at the fluffy creature perched atop the smoldering corpse of the monstrous bear. It wasn't a creature he could easily categorize—round, covered in soft, pearlescent fur that shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and somehow managing to exude both menace and absurdity. Its oversized eyes locked onto Luke's, and then it spoke in a crisp, sarcastic voice.

"Well, don't just stand there gawking like a lost lamb," the creature said, its tone laced with exaggerated exasperation.

Luke blinked. "Uh... what?"

The fluffball hopped down from the bear's corpse, its movements unnervingly nimble. "Don't play coy, boy. Surely you know who I am. Everyone does."

Luke tilted his head, utterly baffled. "Should I?"

The fluffball froze mid-hop, slowly turning its head to stare at Luke. Its round body quivered slightly, as if the very suggestion of ignorance was a personal affront. "Excuse me?" it finally managed, voice sharp with disbelief. "You mean to tell me you don't know me, Aldric Visionweaver? The sage of sages? The one who—"

"Yeah, no clue." Luke interrupted with a shrug.

Aldric's mouth fell open—if the round ball of fur even had a mouth to begin with. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." He narrowed his gaze, suddenly serious, and his form went unnaturally still.

Luke shifted uncomfortably under the creature's unblinking stare. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure out what kind of idiot I'm dealing with here," Aldric retorted sharply. A faint, golden shimmer flickered across his eyes. "Well, isn't this interesting..."

"What?" Luke frowned.

"You're human," Aldric said simply, though his tone carried the weight of revelation.

Luke blinked. "Uh, yeah? Is that supposed to be weird?"

Aldric leaned back slightly, the shimmer fading from his eyes, though his gaze remained intense. "Supposed to be weird? Fool, do you have any idea what that means? Humans vanished ten years ago. Gone. Poof. Not a trace left behind. And now here you are, strolling out of the woods like nothing happened."

Luke squared his shoulders, attempting to look serious. "I'm not here to stroll. I'm here to get revenge. On a monster." His tone was sharp, his eyes hardened.

For a moment, Aldric simply stared, and then the fluffball let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Oh, really? Revenge? " He eyed Luke from head to toe, his tiny form somehow exuding the presence of a disappointed parent. "With that body? That resolve? Fool, if a stiff breeze caught you off guard, it might win the fight. What were you planning to do, glare the monster to death?"

Luke bristled, but before he could reply, Aldric burst out laughing. The fluffy sage let out a dry, sarcastic guffaw, rolling onto his back. "Oh, this is rich. Revenge! You, boy? You couldn't even win a staring contest with me!" His laughter grew louder, his small body shaking with hysterics.

Luke glared down at the laughing fluffball, cheeks heating with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Great. Just great," he muttered. "Maybe getting eaten by the bear would've been the better option."